Tales of Hearts
by fulgurainsomnis
Summary: The world of Rieze Maxia is full of life and potential. Within this world live many people, all with their own stories and experiences. Ventus is a medical student training under the renowned Professor Tifa Lockhart, but he finds himself involved in much more than he ever imagined, when a simple trip to fetch the professor turns into a chance meeting. Full summary inside.
1. Prologue: The World of Spirits

Don't know why, but I suddenly imagined some of my favorite KH characters as the protagonists from Tales of Xillia. Knowledge of ToX won't be required, as this will be my retelling of it with various characters from the KH series, with changes here and there. To bring two great J-RPGs together ^_^ (And yes, I'm aware that Tales of Hearts is an actual Bandai Namco game as well, but the title works here too). I will provide a full summary and cast list of who will be playing the role of who from the original ToX game, for reference should anyone like it.

 **Cast List:** Ventus (as Jude), Roxas (as Milla), Axel (as Alvin), Naminé (as Elize), Riku (as Rowen), Terra (as Gaius), Aqua (as Muzét), Demyx (as Ivar), Marluxia (as Nachtigal), Kairi (as Driselle), Zack (as Cline), Lexaeus (as Jiao), Saïx (as Wingul), Zexion (as Presa), Larxene (as Agria), Luxord (as Gilland), Vanitas (as Celsius), Aerith (as Nurse Prinn), Tifa (as Professor Haus), and Cloud (as Mr. Eldin).

 **Summary:** The world of Rieze Maxia is full of life and potential. Within this world live many people, all with their own stories and experiences. Ventus is a medical student training under the renowned Professor Tifa Lockhart, but he finds himself involved in much more than he ever imagined, when a simple trip to fetch the professor turns into a chance meeting. Right place, right time. He meets a boy who looks almost identical to him, and, despite appearing the same age, possesses wisdom and power beyond his years. Ventus would soon learn that this one encounter would change the course of his life.

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **The World of Spirits**

" _When man and spirit coexist, dreams and wishes are fulfilled. Such is the life of all who live in Rieze Maxia, where hope springs eternal."_

* * *

The air was still in the humble shrine, the lights from the ritualistic flames flickering softly, casting shadows across the floor while simultaneously illuminating the large ceremonial seating cushion resting on an elevated platform. In the center of the cushion sat a boy, no more than 16-years-old, legs crossed and arms resting on his knees in a meditative stance. He stared blankly at the ensorcelled circle on the ground before him, glazed over eyes seeing but not registering the four small elemental glyphs along the edges, each in its proper cardinal position. The boy seemed completely oblivious as a serpent stealthily slithered along the ground behind him, slipping in and out of the shadows.

Suddenly, he let out a small gasp, eyes regaining a sense of presence and filling with a mix between shock and concern. Slowly, he brought one hand to his jaw, holding it in a thoughtful gesture.

"The spirits…" he slowly mused, "are dying."

He closed his eyes, slowly accepting those words as truth. He rose to his feet and stood solidly. The serpent snuck up the wooden carving at his back, now at the level of the boy's head, and began to bare its fangs. As it went to lunge in, it burst suddenly into flames, turning to ash within seconds. The boy looked over his shoulder at the large, glowing ruby entity that was responsible: a massive, soldierly-looking creature made from an inferno. He gave it a knowing look before turning his attention forward once more.

"I fear…the power of spyrix is behind this."

He took a few slow, steady strides forward, his footsteps resounding dimly in the enclosed wooden space.

"So how long has it been? 6 years?" he asked, seemingly to no one in particular. "Time sure flies."

He stopped in the center of the circle, resting on hand on a hip in a relaxed manner. He took a beat, then nodded certainly. Taking the last few steps toward the door, he placed his hands on each side.

"Come! Fennmont awaits!"

As he declared this, three other beings joined the ruby one: one emerald and impish, one sapphire and motherly, and one topaz and childish. They fell into a loose rank behind the boy, as he pushed open the double doors, bright sunlight streaming inside.

* * *

"Within this world, there exist both humans and spirits. They possess a form of symbiotic co-existence. Humans have a section of the brain known as a 'mana lobe', within which mana is produced. They offer this mana to the spirits, which acts as the spirits' sustenance, and in exchange they perform 'sprit artes' for the humans, allowing both beings to live in perfect harmony. It is this balance that allows nature to grow so vastly and allows life to flourish. It is thanks to the spirits that humans can live so peacefully. It can therefore be said that Maxwell, the Lord of the Spirits, is the guardian of life."

The professor beamed, clearly pleased. She was absolutely thrilled to have this new honors student under her wing. This was only his first assignment, but she could tell the kid was going places.

"Excellent work, Mr. Mathis. But certainly you have more to add?"

"Of course, ma'am. While this relationship is crucial to life as we know it, it is a fragile balance. It is only made possible through the offering of mana to the spirits, which is of course the only way to cast spirit artes. No known evil exists that could disrupt this balance. But, if one did, it might lie in the hearts of men…"

Professor Lockhart nodded in proud affirmation. "Excellent work."

The student released a breath of nervous air he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. Oral presentations were truly nerve-wracking, and practice didn't seem to help. But he'd gotten through it! And the professor seemed impressed, no less! He sat back down and watched with lackluster interest as his colleagues presented, already focusing on his practical doctor's duties that awaited him after class.

He got a lot of crap for it from the other students for being a teacher's pet, but the professor was quite taken with his natural abilities, and took him on as an apprentice almost immediately after his enrollment. It was to the point where some days he would take over for her entirely, like today, even though this slightly concerned him as it was technically not allowed. But Professor Lockhart was a busy woman, and he respected that too much to refuse, and honestly didn't want to disappoint the accomplished woman who had put so much faith in him.

Soon the bell rang, and Mr. Mathis transformed into Dr. Mathis, rushing as always to the clinic to assist Nurse Gainsborough. He burst through the door and slipped his doctor's coat over his medical uniform, trying to subtly catch his breath.

"Rushing again, Ventus?"

Ventus looked up at the young nurse, offering her a tired smile.

"Yeah, kinda. It's still hard to balance studies and apprenticeship."

"I'd imagine! Especially your first year here." Nurse Gainsborough sifted through the various documents on her clipboard, examining the information listed there. "Looks like today we'll be seeing Mr. Strife and Mr. Leonhart for regular checkups. General mana lobe exams and such. Nothing too taxing."

"Right," Ventus affirmed with a quick nod. "Thanks Nurse Gainsborough."

She smiled at him. "How many times must I tell you? Call me Aerith."

"Right, sorry. Force of habit."

As the two prepared the office for the incoming patients, Ventus couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. It was far and few between that he had these feelings, but…he was hardly wrong, and learned to trust his gut instinct. It was a surge of concern, for spirits of all things. Deciding he was overthinking and needing to focus on work, he pushed the thoughts from his mind, ignoring what he could almost swear was the crying of the spirits.

* * *

Blue bangs fell across closed eyes, tangling gently into full eyelashes. The owner breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of musky wood that adorned the surrounding trail. It was…invigorating, almost. Other various scents mingled in: the fertile soil, the fragrance of monsters, and the mineral scent of rocky cliffs.

"How pleasant," she murmured, the quiet breeze rustling through her azure locks.

Eyelids opened to reveal brilliant cerulean irises, scanning the world around them and locking onto one figure in particular: a blond boy walking out of a solitary wooden structure made from combined wind and earth artes, a common fixture of the nearby village. She felt a smile creep onto her face, kind yet unsettling as she stared at the quickly retreating figure.

"Nice to meet you, dear brother…"


	2. Chapter 1: Breaking and Entering

_**IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ**_

 **I will be putting an index here for basis of reference. While knowledge of ToX isn't required for this story, certain terms are too important to avoid defining.**

Listed in terms of relevance:

 **Rieze Maxia:** the name given to the world in which humans and spirits live, divided into 2 continents

 **Rashugal:** the continent to the south of Rieze Maxia, made up of 5 ruling houses with a king as their overall leader

 **Auj Oule:** the continent to the north of Rieze Maxia, made up of several constantly warring clans, united under a king

 **Mana:** unit of energy that acts as sustenance for spirits

 **Mana Lobes:** a section of the human brain that produces mana

 **Spirits:** magical beings affiliated with a particular element or combination thereof (wind, water, fire, earth, dark, and light)

 **Lesser Spirits:** spirits who cast general artes for a manner of uses, from basic combat to everyday tasks

 **Great Spirits:** unique spirits who can only be summoned by humans with powerful mana lobes and can manifest into physical form

 **The Four:** refers to the Four Great Spirits ( **Sylph of Wind, Undine of Water, Efreet of Fire,** and **Gnome of Earth** )

 **Maxwell:** the Lord of Spirits (aka Ruler of the Four Elements, The Eldest Spirit)

 **Artes:** powers used by giving mana to spirits (divided into **Spirit, Martial, Arcane, Mystic** , and **Healing** )

 **Spirit Artes:** magic attacks (common, many people able to have the same ability)

 **Martial Artes:** physical attacks (common, many able to have same ability)

 **Arcane Artes:** advanced attacks that are more unique than spirit or martial artes (a handful of people have the same ability)

 **Mystic Artes:** powerful attacks that vary from person to person (no two people will have the same mystic arte)

 **Healing Artes:** used to promote physical and emotional wellbeing and cure ailments

 **I recommend learning all of these terms, as they are fairly simple and will be crucial to understanding certain plot elements.**

 **This will be using the canonical months and seasons from Tales of Xillia.** Although not super essential to the story, it will have some involvement in the plot. It isn't too horribly difficult to understand, so I'll briefly describe it here.

Much like in the real world, an annual calendar in ToX has **12 months** , each consisting of **28 days** (which makes for a 336-day year). The year consists of **4 seasons** as well, each one affiliated with one of **the Four Great Spirits**. _All months and seasons cycle the same as in the real world._

The months go as follows: **Ventus** (January) **, Procella** (February) **, Quies** (March) **, Pluvia** (April) **, Amnis** (May) **, Aqua** (June) **, Calor** (July) **, Flamma** (August) **, Ignis** (September) **, Solum** (October) **, Arbor** (November) **,** and **Sylva** (December).

The seasons cycle _every 3 months._ So, **Ventus** through **Quies** is **Lasylph,** the season dedicated to **Sylph, the Great Spirit of Wind** (which is equivalent to winter). The power of **Sylph** is heightened during that season, making the element of wind stronger and reaching its peak power in the middle month of the season (which is **Procella** , in this case). Following this same idea, **Pluvia** through **Aqua** is **Undis** (Spring), dedicated to **Undine, Great Spirit of Water** ; **Calor** through **Ignis** is **Efreeta** (Summer), dedicated to **Efreet, Great Spirit of Fire** ; and **Solum** through **Sylva** is **Ragnome,** dedicated to **Gnome, Great Spirit of Earth.**

 **For sake of ease, I will notify at the beginning of chapters if it will include information relating to months/seasons.**

Without further ado, please enjoy and let me know what you think. ^_^

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Breaking and Entering**

"あの時にあの場所にいて戦っていた自分が。

 _I was there, at that time, at that place."_

* * *

Ventus once again found himself barreling down the hallways of the Talim Medical School, crashing into fellow students and shouting hasty apologies behind him. He flew into the clinic, squealing to a halt and yanking on his doctor's coat, panting heavily. Aerith laughed.

"Again, Ven? You could just ask to be excused early, you know."

Ventus shook his head, taking a deep breath. "No, I'd miss too much material."

"In five minutes?" she asked.

Ventus gave a firm nod and a small smile. "It's okay if I have to run, really. So, what's our lineup look like today?"

"Just a visit from Mr. Strife," Aerith responded, flipping through her clipboard. "It seems he had a spirit arte related accident."

"Another one?" Ventus frowned. "That's the third one this week. Do you think the spirits are angry or something?"

"I doubt that. Probably just accidents. They happen to everyone once in a while."

"I suppose…"

Aerith opened the door to the office, calling in a limping Mr. Strife. The two helped him up onto the exam table, and Ventus quickly began examining his injury.

"So can you tell me what happened, Mr. Strife?" Ven questioned. "This was arte related, yes?"

The elder man nodded, wincing as Ven prodded the torn muscle.

"Yeah. Just a regular training regimen, but for some reason my artes backfired."

"Strange…this has been happening surprisingly often lately," Ven mused curiously, starting work with his healing artes.

The patient let out an instant sigh of relief. "You've got a lot of talent with your artes for such a young kid. How old are you again?"

"16," the medical student replied with a cheery smile. "And a half. I'll be 17 in Procella."

Mr. Strife let out a quiet, impressed sigh. "Kids like you make me feel like less of a functioning adult."

"I just started school young."

Soon the patient's injury was mended. He stood up, gingerly testing the aspiring doctor's handiwork. Seemingly satisfied, he turned to face Ventus.

"You're something, kid, you know that?"

"It's nothing, really. And please, call me Ven."

"Alright." The man offered a slight smile before retreating through the clinic exit, throwing a casual, "see you later, Ven," over his shoulder.

Not a moment later, a fellow student burst through the door, beaming with excitement.

"Where's Professor Lockhart?!" she asked, practically bursting with enthusiasm.

Smiling at the student's over-the-top actions, Aerith smiled and answered, "He went to the Laforte Research Center. Is something the matter?"

"The exact opposite! I've just been notified to tell her she's won the Howe Prize!"

Ven's eyes widened in delight. "That's amazing!"

Everyone in Rashugal knew that the Howe Prize was the highest achievement in the scientific field. Anyone who won would have their name go down in history, no question.

"Someone should go let her know," Aerith said with a smile.

"I'll do it," Ventus easily complied, heading to the back room to change out of his medical uniform.

He emerged a few moments later, dressed in what everyone at school knew to be his best and favorite attire; it was a white jacket with black trim and a bronze pauldron adorning his left shoulder, worn over a simple red button up shirt and black slacks, complimented by his favorite white and bronze boots.

"Well, I'm off!" he announced proudly, walking out the door and towards the city center.

The spirit-lit street lights shone brightly throughout the eternally dark city. That was one thing Ven loved about Fennmont: the spirit clime in the area kept the city in a perpetual night. He paused for a moment in the commercial district square, trying to remember which route led to the research center. After a moment of pondering, he decided to go with his gut and follow the path between the Fennmont Trading Station and the Branauer Highroad.

Much to his delight, he saw the river bridge leading to Laforte. As he proceeded over the sturdy wooden structure, a small explosion caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned, looking at the two light technicians; one had collapsed on the ground. He quickly ran over, kneeling down and using his healing artes.

"Thanks…" the collapsed technician said. "You must be from the Talim School, yeah?"

Ven nodded, hastily healing his injury. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was trying to light the street lamp, like usual, but…it's almost like the spirits weren't there."

His fellow technician snorted in disbelief. "Get real. You probably just screwed up your arte again."

The collapsed one frowned. "I'm telling you, it wasn't me."

"Whatever," the other responded with a shrug.

Shifting uncomfortably at the tense environment, Ven decided to chime in, "This isn't the first time I've seen this. We've had three patients just this week who were injured from arte-related accidents."

"Huh, you don't say…" The injured technician stood up, testing the newly healed area. "Anyway, thanks doc."

"Anytime!"

Ven once more headed for the research center entrance, only to be stopped short by a pair of guards.

"No one can pass without consent."

"I'm here to pick up Professor Lockhart," Ven stated coolly.

One of the guards checked a list, which Ven assumed was a check-in. "It says here that the professor already left."

Ventus frowned. "Do you mind if I take a look?"

The guard showed him the check-in list, and Ven immediately noticed that something was amiss.

 _That signature…that's not the Professor's…_ he thought.

Still, he put on a polite smile. "Thank you."

He made to walk away, already coming up with other ways to get inside, when the spirit-lights nearest him started to flicker before going dark.

* * *

The nearby lights flickered out as the boy swiftly dropped toward the water below, landing in a crouch as it turned to solid ground beneath his feet. A small chime resounded.

"Yes, I know," he muttered. "Thank you, Sylph, Undine."

He stood from his landing crouch, taking confident steps forward onto the surprisingly solid surface of the water. Another chime.

"Yes, I sense it up ahead."

The boy made his way under the bridge, up to one of the many sewer gate runoffs under the so-called research center. Just as he was preparing to break open the bars blocking the way, there was a resounding _splash_ behind him.

* * *

Ventus ran to the edge of the bridge as he saw what appeared to be a person falling toward the river below. What he found was…shocking, to say the least.

There was a boy about his same age, with strikingly similar features. Same stature, same build, same face shape, same hairstyle even…it was unnerving. What was more, he was _walking on water._ Ven could hardly believe his eyes.

The boy crossed under the bridge, and Ven ran down the stairs leading underneath, really only meant to be used by maintenance workers. The water where the boy had walked was somehow solid ground.

 _What kind of spirit arte could've possibly done this?_ Ventus wondered.

He took a gingerly step onto the seemingly solid water, surprised again when it held his weight. He headed after the other boy, who had now stopped in front of the sewer gates. He didn't realize that the watery path behind him began to disappear until his foot fell into the water with a resounding _splash_ , quickly catching the attention of the strange boy.

As Ven regained his footing, he took a long look at the boy. Up close, he was even more similar, but there were some notable differences. His eyes were a much darker shade of blue than Ven's, being more cobalt than cornflower. His hair was also a darker blond which faded to a meadow green at his bangs. His clothes held a similar color palette to Ven's, but they differed. He wore a black top with white trim, a dark red, short-sleeved bolero style jacket over it, and white pants that were tucked into knee-high lace-up black boots. The left pant leg had black wrapping along the thigh, and the right thigh had a small sheathe for a dagger. A light-weight blade hung on his left side.

Although he looked the same age as Ventus, he seemed to have certain…wisdom about him.

"I, uh…" Ven started, unsure of how to talk to this strange boy.

The boy made a shushing motion. "Just keep quiet, and I won't have to hurt you."

He turned his attention back to the sewer gate and extended his hand, sending forth a giant ball of flame that blew open the bars with a satisfying sizzling sound. Ven stared in awe as the boy took a few steps closer to the newly opened entrance. Noticing his quickly retreating new companion, Ven spoke up.

"Wait! Why are you trying to break into the lab? You know it's a military facility, right?"

The boy sighed, keeping his back to Ven, and held his hand out the side, commanding what appeared to be a glowing blue figure to create a sphere of water that surrounded Ven. Ventus covered his mouth, eyes wide, trying to hold his breath.

"That's funny," the boy muttered to him. "What part of 'keep quiet' didn't you understand?" He turned his head to look back at Ven. "So, ready to hold your tongue?"

Ven nodded frantically, quickly running out of air. With a swift sweep of his arm, the boy dismissed the aqueous sphere, allowing the now soaking wet Ventus to drop onto the solid water path. He landed on his hands and knees, coughing in an attempt to catch his breath. The boy frowned in distaste.

"So much noise. Could you try coughing a little quieter?" He gave Ven a thoughtful look. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Ven put his hand over his mouth to quell the coughing, looking up at the boy hesitantly.

"Can I…talk?" he asked through his fingers.

The boy gave a small, amused smile, nodding.

"I dropped something." Ven held out a small slip of paper from his pocket, to make his point seem valid. "See?"

"Well, no matter," the boy easily dismissed, hopping easily up into the sewer tunnel.

"Wait!" Ventus objected. "What if the guards find you?"

The boy gave him a small smile. "That's why I need to get going. And you need to leave."

Without any further discussion, the boy disappeared into the darkened tunnels. Ventus stood for a moment, debating whether it was better to just swim back to the bridge or follow him. Putting his better judgement aside, he sprinted after the mysterious boy.

* * *

The boy scanned the tunnels, debating which path would lead him to his destination. Another pressing chime. He sighed heavily.

"Yes, I'm sure it's here."

Frantic chimes of four different tones and qualities resounded, startling the boy.

"You don't trust my judgement? Remember, this isn't just any opinion. This is Maxwell's instinct."

The chimes fell silent. Satisfied, the boy smiled.

"No objections then. Good. We press onward."

He proceeded into the darkness, pausing when he came to a ladder. Deeming this would be the best course of action, he climbed up, emerging in the back area of the research center's entrance hall.

"Excellent," he praised himself. "Now, to find the spyrix."

He proceeded to stealthily snoop through various testing chambers and lab rooms, finding little of use aside from a keycard.

"Perhaps this will let me further into the center?" he wondered aloud.

Curious to test his theory, he headed to a sealed door leading further in. Much to his delight, the door slid open with ease once he scanned the keycard. He wandered to the second floor, thinking over his next move carefully, when there was a scream from a nearby lab.

* * *

Ventus easily became lost in the sewer tunnels. He didn't have the best sense of navigation in general, and now he was pretty much hopeless. It was by a pure stroke of luck that he happened across a ladder.

"Maybe this leads inside?"

He found that it did indeed lead inside the center, up to the second floor it seemed. And since the circumstances decided to allow it…

"Alright," Ven decided. "Time to find the professor."

He started searching around a few of the nearby rooms, until he entered one titled "Lab Room 2B". A sense of unease immediately washed over him. There was something _wrong_ here.

"Professor?" he called out, hesitantly stepping further in.

Large containment tubes ran the walls of the room, stretching from floor to ceiling. They were filled with a sickly green colored liquid that obscured most of whatever lay within. Except for…

"Professor!"

Ventus stared with wide, horrified eyes at the sight of the professor, trapped in one of the tubes. She was sickly pale, and her eyes were glazed completely over. She didn't look like she was breathing, either…

"N-no…how could this happen…?" Ven scanned the other tubes, noticing bits of arms or other body parts. "Human experimentation? But for what end?"

A shrieking laugh pierced the relative silence. Ven's head snapped up to see a woman. She wasn't in a military uniform, but that wasn't too unusual. Plenty of the higher-ups didn't wear uniforms, opting to be more easily identifiable to their troops. She wore a short blue dress with a strange cut-out pattern, showing swaths of skin on her stomach, hips, and upper back, and black boots clearly designed for combat. Her yellow hair looked more like antennae than anything else. She was howling with laughter, her electric blue eyes glinting maliciously.

"Who are you?!"

She gave Ventus an unsettling grin. "So you're the visitor I heard about. Poor dear professor, am I right?" Another fit of giggles overcame her. "Mmm, but she had such a plump, _juicy_ mana lobe. It was invaluable."

Ventus glared at the strange woman. "What have you done to these people?!"

"Me? Why, nothing!" The psychotic grin returned. "But you…"

She quickly drew several small knives that rested easily in between her fingers, brandishing them threateningly toward Ven.

"I'll tear you to pieces!"

She quickly lunged forward. He blocked her with his forearm, back-stepping to make some distance between them.

"What are you doing?!"

The woman answered only with more maniacal laughter, slashing at Ven. He kicked in a sweeping motion, successfully knocking her off balance and punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you," he tried to reason, holding out his hand in a sign of a truce.

The woman snapped up and swatted his hand away, coiling up for an attack.

 _She was faking it?!_

Ven tried to dodge, but she easily kicked him in the chest, sending him flying across the room with a loud yell. Ven's head slammed against the wall, pain immediately flaring up.

He didn't notice when the door slid open.

* * *

The boy rushed into the room, startled by the sight he was greeted with. There was that oddly similar looking boy from before, collapsed against the wall with a madwoman cackling in front of him. The boy groaned in pain.

"Oh, quit your sniveling, boy!" the woman sneered.

Her gaze fell on the new visitor, her grin reforming.

"So _you're_ the visitor I heard about!" Her eyes filled with excitement. She jabbed a thumb in the collapsed boy's direction. "He's no fun! I'll kill you instead!"

The boy immediately summoned a glowing ruby figure, a blazing inferno blasting the woman backwards and knocking her out. With the puny threat dismissed, he turned his attention back to the collapsed boy. He summoned a glowing sapphire figure, a soothing wave healing his mild concussion.

His hands fell from the injured spot, and he blinked away the tears that had begun to form. As his vision cleared, he finally registered what he was seeing. His eyes darted between the ruby and sapphire forms.

"No way…that's Efreet and Undine…"

"Correct, the lords of fire and water."

He stared in awe. "How did you…? No one's managed to summon them in 20 years."

The boy ignored his question. "I thought I told you to go home."

"Well…"

He shook his head. "No matter. You already got yourself into trouble. I can't keep saving you, you know."

He made to leave, but was soon stopped by a hand on his wrist. He looked back at the suddenly confident doppelganger.

"Can I…come with you?"

He smiled at the sudden, innocent request. "I see. Stay with the person who rescued you and you won't need any more saving, right? Clever boy."

"Boy? You look the same age as me!" He offered a smile. "I'm Ventus Mathis. Call me Ven."

Ven extended a hand, which the boy quickly accepted with a smile.

"I'm Roxas. Roxas Maxwell."

* * *

The two of them wandered further and further into the endlessly large research center, Ventus following Roxas around like a little puppy.

"My hands are still shaking…" Ventus mumbled.

"And for good reason," Roxas assured. "You were almost killed."

"Why would that woman attack me? I'm a civilian."

Roxas thought for a moment. "I don't think she was part of Rashugal's military."

"But then…why is she at a military facility?"

"An ironic question for you or I to ask, don't you think?"

"I suppose." Ven took a beat. "So…she's okay, right? Like, you didn't…?"

Roxas shook his head. "I tried to go easy on her, but I can't make any promises. You humans are so fragile. I keep having to tell the Four not to overdo it."

"Not sure I follow…"

Roxas stopped for a moment and scanned their surroundings.

"Are you finished here?" he asked. "I would guess you had some reason to come to this place."

"Well, I came to find the professor, but…"

Roxas gave him a sympathetic look. "She was one of the people in that machine, wasn't she?"

"Was it a machine?" Ven frowned. "Yeah, I guess so then…I just don't understand why this would happen. The professor said she was requested here by Orda Palace, so then why…?"

Efreet appeared beside Roxas again, making a deep chiming sound. Roxas nodded.

"Yes, I suppose so."

He started toward the door at the back of the current sector, Ven rushing to keep up. He stopped before the door, examining it like a science project. Ventus shifted uncomfortably.

"So, uh, Maxwell, huh?" Ven asked out of nowhere. "It must be weird having the same last name as the Lord of Spirits."

"Not at all," Roxas smiled. "We are one in the same."

Ven blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I am Maxwell, Lord of Spirits," Roxas stated with all seriousness.

Ventus laughed. "Come on, that's not possible. You look just like a normal human."

"I would hope so. This is the form I created for myself."

"The form you created?" Ven repeated to himself, trying to comprehend.

"You don't believe me?"

"Well...a human claiming to be a spirit? It's a bit much to swallow."

Roxas paused. "How do you humans go about proving your identities to each other?"

"We usually use some form of ID," he explained. "Like, I have a medical school ID card."

"I see. I suppose I can't provide proper proof for you then. I wouldn't even know where to apply for a spirit ID card."

 _Is it really okay for me to be following this person?_ Ven thought concernedly.

Noticing his apprehension, Roxas pulled him into a hug.

"Uh…what are you doing?" Ven asked, clearly somewhat uncomfortable.

"Cuddling you," Roxas explained matter-of-factly.

"Why?"

"I read it in a book. When humans are upset, they feel better when you cuddle them."

Ven raised an eyebrow. "What book was that?"

"'A Mother's Eyes, A Mother's Touch'."

The medical student stared at his doppelganger in disbelief. "That sounds like a book about child-rearing. I'm not a baby."

Roxas frowned. "So it doesn't work? Humans are so complicated…"

Ven smiled a bit at his earnest attempt to cheer him up. "Well, I do feel a little better. Thanks."

The supposed Lord of Spirits brightened. "Oh? So it does work."

With the matter settled, Roxas turned his attention back to the door.

"This leads even further in, right?" Ventus asked. "Shouldn't we be trying to leave?"

Roxas shook his head. "No. I still have business here."

"Isn't it dangerous? I mean, that woman, and the soldiers…"

"I'm well aware," Roxas reassured. "But there's something I must find. I can't help you leave until I do."

"I understand," Ven mused. "After all, I asked to come with you. Besides, I can handle myself if it gets dangerous."

"That woman did have a pretty nice red spot on her stomach. I take it that was your doing?"

Ventus nodded. "I trained in self-defense when I was younger. I don't have my weapon of choice on me, but I'm still pretty decent with just my fists."

"I see. They say even the best-trained soldiers may panic in actual combat," Roxas thought out loud. "But you seemed to keep your cool pretty well, even when you were outmatched."

Ven let out a little chuckle. "Yeah, well, I used to have a friend who trained with me. He'd shout, 'sparring time!' and randomly attack me. It's probably thanks to him."

"Is that so?"

He nodded. "I'd always wind up on the ground, covered in bruises."

Roxas frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"Huh?" Ven's eyes widened. "No, it's not like that."

"Isn't that what most bullied kids say?"

"Bullied?! That's not it!" Ven smiled. "Just a little hyper, that's all."

"If you say so." Roxas turned shook his head. "That's enough conversation for now. Let's press on."

And with that, he scanned the keycard again, the door happily opening for them. They trekked in, Ven stopping in confusion and awe at the sight.

It was what appeared to be some sort of giant device. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen, standing at least as tall as a 3 story building. The room's ceiling had clearly been massively renovated to account for its great height. It had a strange component clearly designed to open for some purpose, pointed diagonally upward, resting on top of a grand base about the size of several classrooms, with a control panel centered at the bottom. It was made of metal and other normal materials, but there was something very wrong and unnatural about it.

"A spyrix weapon…I knew it," Roxas said, drawing Ven out of his stupor.

"What _is_ that?"

"What I've been looking for," Roxas answered smoothly as he strode toward it.

He fiddled with the control panel for a minute, until a small hologram appeared, detailing the structure of the machine. He squinted to read the title they'd given it.

"'The Lance of Kresnik'?" he read.

"You mean the sage from the Genesis Age?" Ven questioned. "Wasn't he the human who first summoned Maxwell?"

Roxas snorted. "So this is irony. Naming this device after Kresnik..."

He centered his stance, bringing his hands together before sharply sending them up and down, then left and right, elemental glyphs appearing as he did so. They glowed brightly, and were soon replaced by glowing beings of ruby, sapphire, emerald, and topaz.

 _There's no mistaking it. That's Efreet, Undine, Sylph, and Gnome…the Four Great Spirits,_ Ventus thought. _He can't be lying…so he's really Maxwell?!_

"Listen up!" Roxas commanded the Four. "We need to destroy that spyrix! Leave no trace of it!"

The spirits went to make quick work of the device, but were soon stopped in their tracks by an unbearably strong force pressing down on them. It felt like gravity had increased tenfold, pushing the two boys down sharply, barely able to raise their heads to look for the source.

 _I feel so weak…_ Ventus thought.

"It must be acting directly on our mana lobes!" he quickly reasoned.

Ven looked around frantically, trying to find out what was happening, and laid eyes on someone operating the giant "lance", laughing maniacally.

"You!" he shouted in shock.

She had inserted some sort of object into the control panel, turning the device on and causing the large oblong part of the machine to open. It was absorbing mana directly from their brains!

The woman from before cackled menacingly. "Die! Suffer!"

"You fool!" Roxas yelled. "Don't you know this will drain you too?!"

"Your suffering…it's worth it!" she squealed before falling flat, her energy depleted by the very machine she had activated.

Roxas gritted his teeth and army crawled forward. It was like trying to swim through syrup: nearly impossible. He managed to make it to the control panel, grabbing at the component the woman had used to activate it.

As he gripped it, Ventus suddenly heard the voices of the Four. They were...pleading.

"What…? Take Roxas and…run?" he questioned. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Not a second later, the Great Spirits disappeared. The inserted component glowed with an abnormal light and collapsed into a spiral shaped disc in his hand, and the machine closed once more, deactivated.

Ven shakily stood, as if questioning the solidity of the ground. No sooner did he take a step toward Roxas when the floor collapsed, the Lance of Kresnik sending out a shockwave that nearly disintegrated the connective paneling. Ventus gripped onto a ledge, managing to hold himself up, but Roxas just slid along the incline that dropped into the ravine below.

He held out his hand, attempting to summon Sylph, but nothing happened to his great surprise. Helpless, he slipped off the ground and fell toward the water. Ventus watched for just a moment as his mind raced before closing his eyes, and letting go of the ledge, plummeting after the Lord of Spirits.


End file.
